What withdrawal rate is safe?

There is no single answer. 4% is the common reference for a 30-year retirement with a balanced portfolio. Longer retirements, higher fees or a bond-heavy portfolio point toward 3% to 3.5%.

What effective tax rate should I enter?

Use your expected blended rate across federal, state and local tax on the income you actually draw — often lower than your working-life marginal rate. If unsure, try a range and see how sensitive the result is.

Does this account for inflation?

The figure is in today's money. Use the inflation impact calculator to see what that income needs to become in later years.

Free tool

Retirement Income Calculator

Enter your portfolio, the withdrawal rate you are comfortable with and your guaranteed income. The calculator shows what that supports each year and each month, gross and after an estimated effective tax rate.

Your numbers

Portfolio balance

Withdrawal rate

Pension & Social Security

Annual

Effective tax rate

Your income

After-tax monthly income

$4,510

Gross annual: $66,000
After-tax annual: $54,120
Gross monthly: $5,500

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Reading your income number

Withdrawal rate is a starting point, not a fixed salary

The classic 4% rule sets the first year's withdrawal and then increases it with inflation. Retirees who adjust spending downward after a bad market year historically supported a higher starting rate than those who did not.

Tax is where most estimates go wrong

A dollar from a Roth, a taxable brokerage account and a traditional IRA are not worth the same after tax. The effective rate here is a blunt estimate; real planning sequences withdrawals across account types to lower the lifetime tax bill.

Required minimum distributions

From your seventies, US tax-deferred accounts force withdrawals whether you need the money or not, which can push you into a higher bracket. Plan the drawdown before then, not after.

Get the full picture

Wealth Vista builds a year-by-year income schedule across every account with tax estimates per year — see how the planner does it.

Sources and further reading

The assumptions behind this tool are drawn from public, primary sources. Check them yourself:

IRS — Required minimum distributions
Official rules on when tax-deferred withdrawals become mandatory.
SSA — Plan for retirement
Estimate your benefit at different claiming ages.
FINRA — Retirement income
Investor education on retirement accounts and drawdown risk.

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Wealth Vista is software, not a fiduciary. Professionals remain responsible for advice delivered to their clients; consumers should consult a certified professional before acting.